My husband has a conference in New Orleans in May. I'd like to get your opinions on whether or not I should tag along to do some sightseeing etc based on the current conditions on the city.

Thanks for your help,

Margy

The French Quarter mostly survived and tourists are coming back. You can still enjoy the classic New Orleans tourist vatcation.

Some of the surrounding neighborhoods are still dark and empty.

I'd definitely go. When I was there just after Thanksgiving, a lot of things in the FQ were open and the Garden District looked pretty good. I'd imagine given another 6 months, things would be a lot better. And the city needs all the tourist dollars it can get.

Yes! Support new orleans!
The french quarter is great still (you'll love Royale street with the galleries and shops vs. Bourbon st with the bars) and they even have the zoo and streetcars running. It's worth it and may is a great time!

A friend's wife just had surgery there, so he was there for about 10 days. He stayed in the French quarter. He said that it was easy to find a great meal. They saw lots of damage but not in the "touristy" places.

You might find it quite interesting...he said the urban legends are rampant (e.g. people told him that Navy Seals came in and shot all looters and threw them in the river; that the levees near the poorer sections of town were dynamited, etc. so the areas would flood, etc.)

I am not surprised about the rumors. There was a flood due to levy break where I am from several years back - 2 towns on either side of the river, one poorer than the other. The levy broke on the poor side and there were rumors of sabotage there too.

I was in NO two weeks ago as a guest of Emeril Lagasse who was cooking in his restaurant in the Warehouse District. We stayed at The Windsor Court which had great room rates. Our very large suite was less than $300/night. The hotel was understaffed as they cannot find workers. The FQ is just as fine as ever and every place is open but there are not many people in the city. It was nice as far as I'm concerned. I don't like crowd. Walking in the FQ was fun and dining was excellent. We had lunch at Galatoire's which is probably the best restaurant in the U. S. Shopping is not up to par as most places are closed such as SAKS, Brooks Brothers, etc. Go down Magazine and shop though for antiques and have lunch as well. NO is in fine shape just not many people there like old days..........

Absolutely. I just spent four days there. We stayed in the French Quarter - definitely recommended - and had a fabulous time. Hotels are reopening, the food is great and most of the stores are reopening. Bourbon Street is definitely hopping with loud music, strip joints going strong and bars open all night. To my amusement, some were still open at 7 am when I would go out walking with my morning cup of chicory coffee from Cafe du Monde. I really enjoyed wandering around and looking at the lovely architecture in the quarter while it was sleepy. I skipped the late night spots, but some in our party didn't and reported that they had a great time and heard some really good music.

Our dinner at K-Pauls was excellent. I had the best blackened Drum ( fish) ever and tasted my companion's Filet Mignon with the restaurant's famous debris sauce. It was definitely the best filet either of us had tasted anywhere in any restuarant. Gumbo and Ettufee at the friendly bar, the Charters Street Cafe, was really good and very cheap. Lots of places are open, street entertainers are returning and even the nightly Ghost Tours are operating again, if you enjoy them. If not, the historic walking tours are an option, as are the mules drawn carriages that line hostoic Jackson Square. The drivers give interesting narations as they loop through the ancient streets. The Mississippi paddleboat the Natchez is operating again, so are the street cars along the river and down Canal Street, though they are not running in the Garden District yet.

The city definitely looks as if it took a wallop - it has, however there is a strong feeling of resurgance. Lots of renovation is going on all over, carpenters are everywhere, things are being repainted and windowboxes are being replanted now that people are back in their homes and businesses again. There is so much to see. Two of us had been there before, but two hadn't. I love the stores, especially the clothing and antiques. Don't expect them to be spit and polish clean, no one has enough staff, but they make up for it in smiles, conversation and customer service. Definitely take a "Disaster" tour, they are done tastefully and are led by people who lost their own homes and who want the rest of us to understand what it was like. Ours asked us to each call our representatives in Washington to ask for more help. You will be flabbergasted by how extensive it all is, moved deeply and glad that you visited beautiful New Orleans at this historic time.

such a nice and refreshing thread, not at all what one might expect from watching the gloom and doom on tv news.

Thank you so much everyone for your input. It definately sounds like it would be worth tagging along!

Margy

Wow - a disaster tour. Now that sounds pretty interesting, in a morbid way.

Glad to hear they didn't just scrap this city but instead, rebuild it.

What I don't understand is why they're rebuilding if they haven't committed to rebuilding the levees FIRST to a Hurricane category 5 level? I mean, if they rebuild parts of the city, and the levees aren't rebuilt to withstand a deadly hurricane, and then they get flooded again? I just don't get it. Why isn't there more press about the rebuilding of these levees??

Steve R
Silver Spring MD

Steve, there is some press about rebuilding the levees, and the work is well under way. The only problem is that the levee heights are not being significantly changed, so no one knows what might happen when (or if) a similar hurricane occurs again.

If you want to know more about the local goings-on, go to www.nola.com.

Thanks Wayne. Glad to hear they're rebuilding. I just hope they don't do a half a**ed job of it this time. They ought to study the dykes in Europe - those things can withstand a nuclear bomb!

Steve R